Drink Coffee, Live Longer Says Two New Studies

July 11, 2017

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The health effects of coffee, good and not-so-good, have been debated for centuries. Now, two new studies suggest that people who drink two to four cups of coffee a day have an 18 percent lower risk of death than those who don’t drink coffee.

Both of the studies were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. One was the largest study on coffee and mortality ever, involving more than 520,000 people in 10 European countries, and the other involved 185,000 people of different races.

Earlier research suggests coffee may have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Drinking coffee has been associated with lower risks for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, and liver, respiratory, digestive, and kidney diseases. Researchers say that the studies don’t show a cause-and-effect connection between coffee and good health, and that it could just be that coffee drinkers are healthier to begin with.